6:1–5 In many ways the instructions about securities and pledges seem to come out of nowhere. That is, they are more specific and practical than most of what has been seen in chapters 1–5 so far, and they add a novel topic to what has been a fairly confined collection of themes.

Financial pledges and securities were a regular part of Israelite society and, as might be expected, were also addressed in the statutes of the Mosaic law (cf. Ex. 22:25–26; Deut. 24:10–13). And yet, while the law encourages the “haves” of the world to help the “have nots” by letting them make such loan guarantees, Proverbs seems to discourage these practices. What is going on here?

The pledge was to be used to benefit a known neighbor in the community, applied with neither carelessness nor cruelty (e.g., Prov. 17:18; 20:16; 22:25–26; 27:13). Proverbs has already addressed related matters of insensitivity and cruelty toward one’s neighbor (3:27–29). Now Proverbs warns the son not to stray into careless promises on others’ behalf (6:2; cf. 5:2, 7). The major risks of such promises are twofold. First the son might make a hasty and unwise investment with a neighbor, putting the security of his own household in limbo. As noted throughout the commentary (cf. comments on 3:25–32; 11:9–14; 11:15), the Hebrew language uses a single word for “friend” and “neighbor.” In contrast to our worldview, therefore, “neighbor” in Proverbs includes a broad range of acquaintances, both far and near to us.

Second, the son might make an economic investment in a stranger whose character and virtue are unknown (6:1). The “stranger” in verse 1 echoes the related dangers of the “strange woman” in chapters 2; 5–7. And so, while Proverbs insists on a spirit of generosity, such a virtue must be balanced by good social and business sense.

The son is, therefore, instructed to go to every length to escape careless vows (cf. Luke 11:8; 18:5). Sleep, a crucial necessity for survival, is less important than escaping rash commitments (Prov. 6:4; cf. Ps. 132:4). The son who has pledged foolishly should likewise consider himself as a bird whose very life is sought out by the fowler and should seek relief from the vow. This image appears again in the same context in Proverbs 7:23. In the context of the fowler, the broader lesson is to avoid the moral complacency that often creeps into life.

6:6–11 The combination of animal metaphors and sleep in verses 4–5 sets the stage for the teaching in this new set of instruction about sloth and work. In fact, the section’s beginning word “go,” echoes the “go” for the son at risk in 6:3, suggesting that these two sections have been carefully aligned.

Chapter 5 spoke primarily to sexual temptation, pain, and pleasure. The father now teaches through observation of nature—of the life of the mighty ant. Animal metaphors occur many times throughout the book; e.g., dog (26:11, 17), lion (19:12; 20:2; 22:13; etc.), and bird (1:17; 7:23; 27:8). The sayings of wonder in Proverbs 30 contain the greatest density of animal sayings. These creative uses of pain, pleasure, and nature disclose the basic genius of Proverbs—moral and social instructions are grounded in our embodied experiences in the world (cf. the Response section).

The ant is the preeminent symbol for diligence and foresight in work and labor. Proverbs 30:25 also appeals to the ant’s example of hard work and planning. The ant does all this work without a “chief, officer, or ruler” (6:7). A similar point about hard work appears with the locust in 30:27. Given that Proverbs tends to assume the need for good leadership among parents, kings, and military rulers, this proverb is probably not meant to encourage anarchy or the throwing off of leadership. Rather the emphasis falls on the adolescent son, who needs to learn to live morally and wisely without the parents’ watching every step, whether or not he has attentive and upright leaders in his community and nation.

In contrast to the ant’s dynamism is the deplorable sight of a sluggard who cannot even raise himself from bed. These sayings use distinct images of pleasure to lead us to empathize with this lazy person. We might immediately (and somewhat appropriately) think of modern teenagers who seem to sleep their life away. And yet we know from recent studies of adolescent development and puberty that teenagers require more sleep than children a few years younger (not excluding the need for consistent bed times and reduced screen time on phones and computers). The larger focus here, as in 24:30–34, is the son’s risk-averse attitudes toward work. This sort of excuse-heavy and procrastinating attitude puts off work, even in the face of obvious and urgent physical need (6:11). This seems be the very thrust of verse 10 and its three images that draw out the son’s inner thoughts: “Just a quick nap,” “I will do that later,” and “I will just take today off from work.” These little decisions head one down a dangerous path.

To hammer the point home the father introduces stark metaphors evoking the son’s vulnerability to poverty and starvation. Calamity and hunger are just waiting to take advantage of the sluggard. And so, as with the effort to escape from rash pledges in verses 1–5, the son must go to every effort to fight off sloth.

6:12–15 This section flows naturally from the character portrait in verses 6–11 to expose the motives and behaviors of the “wicked” and “worthless” fellow (v. 12). The term “worthless” renders the phrase “son of beliyyʿal” (cf. Deut. 13:12–15; 1 Sam. 2:12; Prov. 16:27; 19:28; cf. also 2 Cor. 5:15). Fox suggests that the label is intended not as a description of a man but to “censure behaviors by ascribing them [to this person].”66 But Fox misses a major aspect found throughout Proverbs of fictional characters whose lives allow us to test actions and narratives (cf. Response section).

These sayings display many levels of intricacy, as seen, for example, in the careful mirroring between feet/speech (6:12) and eyes/feet (v. 13). The passage also displays imaginative images of physical gestures: “crooked” words, winking eyes, pointing and gesturing hands and feet, and a perverse heart. The comprehensiveness and cohesiveness of bodily imagery here are nearly the opposite of bodily efforts and gestures meant to protect the son in 4:20–27. In the end his body is destroyed “beyond healing” (6:15). On other uses of “healing” cf. comments on 14:28–35 (at v. 30); 15:1–4.

In this passage the whole body is knotted, twisted, and bent toward creating malice, division, and destruction. Just as we cannot help but imitate pursed lips when we hear the phrase “pursed lips,” so our body and emotions automatically mimic the shuddering feeling of living with a wicked disposition.

6:16–19 This list of abominations is the first numerical list in Proverbs; the rest are found in chapter 30. These sayings stand out less as lists than as graded numerical sayings that follow the pattern of three things and four, or six things and seven (n, n+1). In fact, chapter 30 is composed almost entirely of these types of numbered poems, all which point to the depth, harshness, and wonder of the world.

The aim of these sayings in chapter 6 is essentially an effort to circumscribe a group of detestable acts. After all, when the number seven appears elsewhere in Proverbs, the emphasis is one of completeness, not endlessness (cf. 6:31; 9:1; 24:16; 26:16; 26:25). This last example (26:25) is largely a summary of the list in chapter 6. The common theme in both places is God’s deep hatred of the worst of human vices. His moral order is not random or hidden. Goodness, wisdom, and justice always reflect God’s own character, while all other actions and attitudes reflect the opposite.

The vices in verses 16–19 are pride, various forms of deceit, violence, an unchecked desire for wickedness and evil, and acts that sow division in the community. As in verses 12–15, these sayings again appeal to the body—eyes, tongue, hands, and feet—as a way to emphasize the fact that every part of our life and existence can be used in rebellion and destruction. They also capture the basic forms of activity: tongue for speech, hands for work, and feet for paths and choices. The opposite is true as well; our bodies can be put wholly to the task of wisdom, righteousness, and order.

6:20–23 This section initiates a restart, or what amounts to a refrain in Proverbs, returning once again to the parents’ instructions and the benefits they bring. The refrain catches the eye and ear with unmistakable tones from Deuteronomy’s language of keeping and binding the law and commandments, as well as its language of the heart and neck—the human center for life and desire. Perhaps even more obvious than these parallels is the way in which verses 20–23 recast Deuteronomy’s holistic images of walking, standing, and sitting from the great Shema (Deut. 6:4–9; 11:19), which also hold a prominent position in Psalm 1:1 (“Blessed is the man who walks not . . . nor stands . . . nor sits”).

Furthermore, like Deuteronomy and Psalms 1; 119, these wisdom teachings are a “lamp” (Ps. 119:105), a “light” (Pss. 119:105, 130, 135), and a source of life. In our world, conditioned to artificial light sources and advanced medicine, it is easy to overlook the great weight of these promises. But in the culture in which these sayings were first spoken, the father’s promises would have resonated with the urgent need to stave off darkness, disease, and death.

6:24–35 The section outline labeled these verses “Refrain 2” to mark the alternating pattern between parental instructions and passages speaking either about Wisdom or the strange woman. These latter refrains are not accidental but reflect the way in which life is lived day to day. That is, temptations in life might be constant and many, but when one is trained in the craft of wisdom, the seductions are easier to identify. More importantly, we can recognize temptations by how they relate to the theme of the two ways, those of the father’s wisdom and life and of the strange woman, folly, and death. Desire is the critical variable in determining which path our life will follow.

These passages creatively weave images of pleasure and of suffering and pain into the act of adultery. Proverbs 6:24–25 displays provocative images of the woman’s alluring words of seduction, her beauty, and especially her eyes. Verses 26–29 then pour cold water on a brief moment of passion. These pleasures turn out to be cheap, worth no more than a loaf of bread, and cost the man his life. Verses 27–28 evoke scenes of immense pain—fire held close to the torso and walking on hot coals. All people know the speed with which we react to intense burning, especially on the sensitive skin of the chest or bosom and feet. The Introduction listed the growing list of evidence from cognitive science that these kinds of images influence us nonconsciously. And so, as quickly as the images of the woman’s lips, eyes, and looks appeal arouse the son’s loins, just as quickly do the images of sharp, intense burning quiet everything down, putting the son back in a place to make a wise decision in the face of temptation. One pleasure is not worth the subsequent pain.

The image of burning is probably not random. In two places in the Law of Moses we find passages connecting sexual deviance and excess with burning, using the two words for burning in Proverbs 6:27–28 (Ex. 21:24–25; Lev. 20:14). In Proverbs the burning may well imagine a sexually transmitted disease.

Proverbs 6:29–33 turns from the pain sayings to the context of judicial punishment. The pain sayings imply natural or divine consequences. Now the father assures the son that, just as crimes are (or should be) met with justice, so will his indiscretions be checked one way or another.

The final verses bring this section to a close with a picture of the husband’s jealous rage. There is a close parallel between this example of marital infidelity and God’s anger toward Israel’s breaking of her marital covenant with him (cf. Mal. 2:11, 14–16). Indeed, Proverbs 2:16–17 has already depicted infidelity in covenantal language. Laws on marriage and divorce, the poetry of the Wisdom Literature, and the rhetoric of the Prophets all agree in this way, seeing monogamy and religious faithfulness as reflections of one another (cf. Jer. 2:13; 3:2–6; Ezek. 16:28, 32; Hos. 2:8–13).67 Failures on either side arouse righteous wrath. The son in this passage, therefore, should hear an exhortation to set his heart on unbending love to the wife of his youth and the God of his salvation.